Separable window, screen and window-screen units for automotive doors and method of insertion and removal of same

ABSTRACT

Method and assembly for permitting the insertion and/or removal of a door windows, screens or window-screen combinations wherein the assembly comprises window and/or screen guide channels with each guide channel having a readily removable upper forward section that permits manipulation of the window and/or screen unit relative to the door after the section has been removed. During removal, the window or screen is separated from its respective drop arm and then removed from the door by either separating the window or screen unit from the drop arm roller guide and sliding the roller guide off the roller and out between the unit and the windowsill to allow greater freedom of lateral movement for tilting the unit relative to the door during removal of the unit; by tilting the window or screen unit with the roller guide attached thereto and sliding the entire window or screen unit together with the roller guide out of the sill or by detaching the window or screen panel from a lower unit frame member which carries the roller track. The procedure is reversed for insertion.

United States atet [72] Inventors Robert D. Keefe;

Alice Keele, both of 207 Hickory SL, Barnosboro, Pa. 15714 [21] Appl. No. 845,843 [22] Filed July 29, 1969 [45] Patented June 15, 1971 [54] SEPARABLE WINDOW, SCREEN AND WINDOW- SCREEN UNITS FOR AUTOMOTIVE DOORS AND METHOD OF INSERTION AND REMOVAL OF SAME 9 Claims, 7 Drawing Figs.

[52] U.S. Cl 49/348, 49/374, 49/454, 49/455 [51] lnt.Cl 1305f 11/38 [50] Field of Search 49/453- [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,218,130 3/1917 Ternstedt 49/456X 1,716,044 6/1929 Goldsmith et al.... 49/453 2,021,719 11/1935 Field etal. 49/456X 2,591,232 4/1952 Brown ABSTRACT: Method and assembly for permitting the insertion and/or removal of a door windows, screens or windowscreen combinations wherein the assembly comprises window and/or screen guide channels with each guide channel having a readily removable upper forward section that permits manipulation of the window and/or screen unit relative to the door after the section has been removed. During removal, the window or screen is separated from its respective drop arm and then removed from the door by either separating the window or screen unit from the drop arm roller guide and sliding the roller guide off the roller and out between the unit and the windowsill to allow greater freedom of lateral movement for tilting the unit relative to the door during removal of the unit; by tilting the window or screen unit with the roller guide attached thereto and sliding the entire window or screen unit together with the roller guide out of the sill or by detaching the window or screen panel from a lower unit frame member which carries the roller track. The procedure is reversed for insertion.

PATENTED m: m 3,584,415

SHEET 2 OF 2 414 254/ fiyf 1 F7 6 ma d zAM ATTORNEYS SEPARABLE WINDOW, SCREEN AND WINDOW-SCREEN UNITS FOR AUTOMOTIVE DOORS AND METHOD OF INSERTION AND REMOVAL OF SAME BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to automotive door window, screen and window-screen assemblies and, in particular, to assemblies of the above character which can be easily removed from or inserted into an automotive door assembly.

It is a principal object of the present invention to provide a door assembly wherein a pane of auto glass and/or a screen can be conveniently and rapidly inserted into or removed from an automobile door by an individual without the need of special skills thereby eliminating the need for professional help (e.g. mechanics) and the resulting expensive labor charges.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a combination window and screen assembly in automobile doors whereby either or both the window and screen can be lowered into the door for storage or raised to a closed position for use. With such an assembly, in nice weather only the screen need be used with the window being ready for use merely by rolling it up to the closed position when locking up the car or in case of inclement weather.

It is a further object of the invention to provide assemblies of the above character wherein due to the easy removal and insertion features, a second or storm window can be substituted for the screen when desired or a window with tinted glass can be substituted for either the window or the screen when desired to cut down on bothersome glare or to serve both as a storm window and a means for cutting down on bothersome glare.

A preferred embodiment of the invention comprises a window and/or screen assembly wherein the forward guide channel of the assembly is provided with an upper section which can be separated from the remaining portions of the guide channel and removed from the door. Depending on the type of door, the upper section of the guide channel is removed either by removing the entire wing window unit which includes the upper section of the guide channel or in other cases, where the forward guide channel for the assembly is not an integral part of a wing window, just the upper section of the forward guide channel is removed without the need for removing any other components. To assure proper alignment between the separable section of the forward guide channel, which extends below the windowsill of the door, and the lower section of the forward guide channel, a key is provided which passes down through aligned apertures in the section.

Where a combination window or window-screen assembly is provided, substantially the same arrangement is utilized for the additional window or screen unit as described above. With the use of a second window or screen, a second guide channel assembly is added to the guide channel assembly already in the door forming a dual guide channel. The second guide channel serves the same function for the auxiliary window or screen the main channel serves for the original window assembly.

After the separable section of the forward guide channel has been removed, the insertion or removal of a window or screen from the automotive door can be accomplished in the following manner. If the windowpane or screen panel is separably secured to the lower frame member of the window or screen unit, the pane or screen panel can be separated from the frame member and then since the upper section of the forward guide channel has been removed, the pane or screen panel can be brought diagonally upward, inward and forward relative to the window opening thereby permitting removal of the window or screen without any need for any special skill.

A second method of removing a window or screen unit and, in particular, screen units due to their flexibility, involves tilting the unit including the roller track about the drop arm roller, flexing the upper forward corner of the unit inward so as to clear the upper window frame member during withdrawal and withdrawing the unit along with the roller track from the door in one piece. This, of course, can only be done when the screen or window unit has sufficient flexibility and although principally used with screen units, it can also be used with window units where there is sufficient flexibility such as when the window is made from a clear plastic.

A third method of removing the window or screen unit once the upper section of the forward guide channel has been removed, involves separating the unit including the lower frame member of the unit from the roller track of the drop arm. After this is done, the roller track is rotated about the roller of the drop arm and slid out between the unit and the windowsill. With the roller track removed, the drop arm no longer interferes with the lateral movement of the unit thereby enabling additional room to manipulate the window or screen laterally within the door so that it can be withdrawn from the door through the forward portion of the window opening in a forward, inward and upward direction.

The above objects and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent and other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of a typical automotive door with the inner panel removed to better illustrate a window unit of the present invention mounted therein;

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary sectional view taken substantially along lines 2-2 of FIG. I with the window unit intermediate the upper closed position and the lower open or storage position;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary view of the forward guide channel of FIG. I to better illustrate the aligning pin of aligning the upper and lower sections of the forward guide channel;

FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of a window unit and a roller track of the drop arm assembly;

FIG. 5 is a side elevational view of an automotive door with the inner panel removed for the purposes of illustrating a combination window or window-screen unit of the present invention which is mounted within the automotive door;

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary sectional view of the automotive door to FIG. 5 taken substantially along lines 66 of FIG. 5 with the window and screen units intermediate their upper closed positions and their lower open or storage position; and

FIG. 7 is an enlarged sectional view of the dual guide channel taken substantially along lines 7-7 of FIG. 5.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Referring now to the drawings and, in particular, to FIG. 1, an automotive door 20 is shown which is provided with a window assembly 22 of the present invention. The window assembly 22 comprises a conventional drop arm assembly 24, a window unit 26 and a window guide channel assembly 28. The drop arm assembly 24 is operated in conventional manner by means of a hand crank (not shown) which turns gear 30 which, in turn, meshes with and thereby pivots the drop arm 32 through an arc to move the window unit 26 from the lower storage position shown in FIG. I to the upper closed position. The free end of the drop arm 32 is provided with a roller 34 which is received within a substantially channel-shaped track 36 having inturned flanges 38 to keep the roller engaged within the track.

A lower window unit frame member 40 is secured to the web of track 36 of the drop arm assembly 24 by suitable fastening means such as screws 42 which pass through aligned threaded apertures in the track 36 and the depending, spacedapart flanges 44 of the window unit lower frame member 40 as best shown in FIG. 4. While the windowpane 46 of window unit 26 is shown press fit into the lower frame member 40 of the window unit between flanges 48, it is to be understood that the windowpane can also be secured to the lower frame member by means of screws or other suitable fasteners (not shown) passing through aligned threaded apertures in the flanges 48 and apertures in the base of the windowpane. In addition, while a window unit has been illustrated, it is to be understood that a screen panel can be substituted for the windowpane in lower frame member 40 as shown in FIG. 6 which illustrates a combination window-screen assembly.

As shown in FIG. 1, the window guide channel assembly 28 comprises vertically-extending forward and rear channels 50, 52 interconnected at their upper ends by a horizontal channel 54. These guide channels 50, 52 and 54 are retained in place within the automotive door by a conventional means such as screws 56 which secure the guide channels to the door frame and/or brackets 58 which, in turn, are welded or otherwise secured to the door. An upper section 60 of the vertical forward channel 50 of the window guide channel assembly 28 is separable from a lower section 62 of the vertical forward guide channel and the horizontal guide channel 54. This enables upper section 60 of the forward guide channel to be removed from the door assembly 20 to facilitate the removal of the windowpane 46 or unit 26 without removing the remaining portions of the window guide channel assembly.

The upper section 60 of the forward guide channel is kept in proper alignment with the lower section 62 of the guide channel by means of an aligning pin 64 which extends from the windowsill 66 down into the door along the web 68 of the guide channel. In the embodiment shown, the lower end of the aligning pin 64 is received within a pair of apertures provided in lugs 70, 72 on the upper and lower guide channel sections adjacent their juncture 74. When the upper and lower guide channel sections 60, 62 are in alignment, the apertures of lugs 70, 72 are in alignment and the pin 64, which is tapered to facilitate entry into the apertures and limit the extension of the pin through the apertures, passes through the apertures thereby insuring proper alignment of the upper and lower guide channel sections 60, 62 so that the window unit raises and lowers smoothly. As shown, pin 64 is provided at its upper end with a small tab 75, to facilitate the gripping of the pin, which extends above windowsill 66 for the insertion or removal of the pin from the lugs of the window guide channels during the insertion or removal of a window.

The juncture 74 between upper section 60 and lower section 62 of the forward window guide channel 50 is located the windowsill 66 to permit the window unit 26 to be cocked within the door during removal or insertion. The spacing of juncture 74 below the windowsill 66 is governed by the clearance needed to pivot window unit 26 about drop roller 34 when it is removed with the roller track 36 and/or the clearance needed to cock the window unit 26 within the door after the track has been removed, whichever is greater, with the window unit intermediate its uppermost and lowermost positions as shown in dotted line in FIG. 1. The window unit has to be somewhat below its fully closed or uppermost position when being tilted inward and cocked within the door to the position shown in dashed line in FIG. 1 to allow the upper forward edge of the window unit to clear the upper window frame of the door. A preferred way of insuring adequate clearance between the window unit 26 and the lower forward guide channel section 62 is to make juncture 74 somewhat below the lower edge of window unit 26 when the window unit is in the position shown in dotted line in FIG. 1.

As shown in FIG. 1, the upper section 60 of the forward window guide channel 50 is an integral part of the wing window frame 76 which is retained in place by screws 56 along the inclined forward portion 78 of the door frame and the aligning pin 64. Upon removal of the three screws 56 and the aligning pin 64, the wing window frame 76 including the upper forward section 60 of the main window guide channel can be removed from the door assembly thereby readying the door assembly 20 for the removal or insertion of a window unit 26. While in the embodiment shown, the upper section 60 of the forward window guide channel is an integral portion of the wing window frame 76, it is contemplated that where wing windows are not provided or where it is not desirable to make the upper section of the forward window guide channel 50 an integral portion of the wing window, upper section 60 of the forward window guide channel can be formed from a separated channel member secured to the lower section 62 of the window guide channel by the aligning pin 64 and also directly secured to the frame of the door assembly by screws or other suitable removable fastening means.

While the above description has referred to window unit 26 for illustrative purposes, it is to be understood that a screen unit can be substituted for the window unit 26 without altering the structure of the drop arm assembly or the guide channel assembly 28. Therefore, since the same inventive principles apply whether the unit is a window unit or a screen unit, the above detailed description of FIGS. 1-4 will not be repeated to avoid unnecessary repetition.

Turning now to the second embodiment of the invention wherein a combination window and screen assembly 122 having window unit 126 and screen unit 226 is illustrated in FIGS. 5-7, it is to be understood that a second window unit can be substituted for screen unit 226 if desired. However, for the purposes of illustrating the present invention, the window and screen assembly 122 will now be described in detail. Components of FIGS. 5, 6 and 7, which correspond to the assembly illustrated in FIGS. 14, are designated by like reference numerals preceded by a one or a two.

The window unit 126 and drop arm assembly 124 are essentially the same as that shown in FIG. 1 with the exception that the drop arm 132 passes on the outside of the forward guide channels 150, 250 rather than the inside so that the drop arm 232 for the screen unit and the drop arm for the window unit do not interfere with each other. In addition, in the embodiment shown, the drop arm roller 134 of the guide arm extends inwardly into the outwardly facing channel-shaped track 136 of the window unit 126 rather than outwardly as in the previous embodiment and the depending, spaced-apart flanges 144 of the window unit lower frame member 140 are secured to track 136 by screws 142 passing from the depending flanges 144 into the track. By securing the window unit lower frame member 140 to the track 136 in this manner, screws 142 can be inserted or removed from the inwardly facing side of the unit to facilitate assembly or disassembly.

The screen unit assembly 226 and the drop arm assembly 224 are essentially the same as the unit shown in FIG. 1 with the exception that the drop arm assembly 224 is mounted in a higher position on the door. The drop arm 232 passes on the inside of the forward guide channels 150, 250 with the drop arm roller 234 of the guide arm extending outwardly into the inwardly facing channel-shaped track 236 of the screen unit 226. The depending, spaced-apart flanges 244 of the screen unit lower frame member 240 are secured to track 236 by screws 242 passing from the track into depending flanges 244 of the screen unit lower frame member. By securing the screen unit lower frame member 240 to the track 236 in this manner, screws 242 can be inserted or removed from the inwardly facing side of the unit to facilitate assembly or disassembly.

The screen panel 246 of the screen unit 226 can be press-fit into the lower frame member 240 of the screen unit between flanges 248 as is the windowpane 146 of the window unit 126. However, in the preferred form, the screen panel 246 is secured to the lower screen unit frame member 240 by screws 249 which pass through aligned apertures in flanges 248 and the base of the screen panel member 246. With this construction, the screen panel member 246 can be separated from the screen unit lower frame member 240 and, consequently, the drop arm assembly 224 merely by removing screws 249.

As best shown in FIGS. 5 and 7, the window and screen guide channel assembly 128 comprises vertically-extending, forward channels 150, 250, rear channels 152, 252 and horizontal channels 154, 254 which interconnect the forward and rear channels at their upper ends. As in the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, the lower ends of the vertical guide channels are provided with stops to limit the extent to which units 126 and 226 can be lowered within the door assembly so that rollers 34 cannot accidentally become separated from track 36.

These guide channels are retained in place within the automotive door by conventional means such as screws 156, 256 which secure the guide channels to the frame and/or brackets 158 which, in turn, are welded or otherwise secured to the door.

Referring now to FIG. 7, the guide channels for the window unit 126 and the screen unit 226 preferably are formed separately so as to permit the removal of one unit including its guide channel from the door assembly without having to remove the other unit. However, it is to be understood that the guide channels for the window unit and screen unit can be made integrally if desired.

As in the embodiment of FIG. 1, the upper sections 160, 260 of the vertical forward channels 150, 250 of the window and screen guide channel assembly 128 are separable from lower sections 162, 262 of the vertical forward guide channels and the horizontal guide channels 154, 254. This enables the upper sections 160, 260 of the forward guide channels to be removed from the door assembly 120 to facilitate removal of the screen unit 226 and/or the window unit 126 without having to remove the remaining portions of the window and screen guide channel assemblies.

The upper sections 160 and 260 of the forward guide channels are kept in proper alignment with the lower sections 162, 262 of the guide channel by means of aligning pin 264 which extends from the windowsill 66 down into the door along the web 268 of the guide channel 250. As in the embodiment of FIG. 1, the lower end of the aligning pin is received within a pair of apertures provided in lugs 270, 272 on the upper and lower guide channel sections adjacent their juncture 274. While these lugs are located on web 268 of the guide channel, they are adjacent the innermost edge of the web so that the pin can be inserted into the apertures by passing it down into the door adjacent the wing window. The junctures 174, 274 between the upper and lower guide channel sections are located relative to the rest of the assembly in the same manner that juncture 74 of the first embodiment is located. This, of course, insures adequate clearance for the cocking and tilting ofthe screen and window units relative to the door.

As shown in FIG. 5, the upper sections 160, 260 of the forward window guide channels are part of the wing window frame 176 which is retained in place by screws 156 along the inclined forward portion 178 of the door frame and the aligning pin 264. The upper sections 160, 260 of the forward window guide channels can be integral parts of the wing window frame 176 or they can be separably affixed to the wing window frame by screws or by other suitable fastening means passing from the web of the channel members into the wing window frame. In the preferred form, upon removal of the three screws, 156, along the inclined forward portion I78 of the door frame and the aligning pin 264, the wing window frame 176 including the upper forward sections 160,260 of the main window and screen guide channels can be removed from the door assembly thereby readying the door assembly for the removal or insertion ofa screen and/or window unit. If there is no wing window in the door assembly or ifit is not desirable to secure the upper sections 160, 260 of the forward guide channels to the wing window, these channel members can be secured to the lower sections 162, 262 of the forward guide channels by alignment pin 264 and also directly secured to the frame of the door adjacent their uppermost ends by screws or other suitable fastening means passing from the door frame directly into the channel members. In addition, if the upper sections 160, 260 of the forward guide channel are not integral of affixed to a common unit such as the wing window frame, a second aligning pin 164 with suitable lugs can be provided for the forward guide channel assembly 150.

The removal of a window or screen from the automotive door can be accomplished in the following manner. First, the upper section 60 of the forward guide channel or the upper sections 160, 260 are removed from the door assembly. This is accomplished in the embodiments shown through the removal of pin 64 or 264 along with the removal of the screws 56 on the inclined forward portion 78 of the door frame wherein the entire wing window is removed from the door along with the guide channel member or members. Once the upper section or sections of the forward guide channel or channels have been removed, any one of the following methods can be utilized to remove the window and/or screen from the door assembly. Since the methods of removal are essentially the same whether removing a window or screen unit from the embodiment of FIG. 1 or the embodiment of FIG. 5, with the exception that the screen unit must be removed first in the embodiment of FIG. 5 and the procedure repeated in order to remove the window unit, the following detailed description of removing the window or screen unit 26 from the assembly of FIG. 1 applies also to the embodiment of FIG. 5.

A first method of removing a windowpane or screen panel 46 from the automotive door involves the removal of the windowpane or screen panel from the lower frame member 40 of the unit whereby the lower frame member 40 of the unit remains attached to track 36 and the drop arm assembly 24. With the upper section 60 of the forward guide channel removed, the unit 26 is moved from the lowered position shown in full line in FIG. 1 to the dotted line position shown in FIG. I. With the unit 26 in this position, the upper edge of the windowpane or screen panel is spaced below the upper horizontal guide channel 54 and the lower frame member 40 of the unit 26 is aligned with panel sections 80 which can be removed from the inner wall of the door so as to permit access to the fastening means securing the windowpane or screen panel to the lower frame member 40 of the unit 26. The use of panel sections 80 makes it unnecessary to remove the entire inner wall of the doorframe and the upholstery panel when removing a unit from the door assembly. When the windowpane or screen panel is secured to the lower frame member 40 by means of screws, such as screws 249 of FIG. 5, once the unit is in the position shown in dotted line in FIG. 1, the screws 24) are removed thereby freeing the windowpane or screen panel 46 from the lower frame member 40 and permitting lateral movement of the lower portion of the windowpane or screen panel within the door. Once this is done, since the windowpane or screen panel is spaced below guide channel 54 and since the upper section 60 of the forward guide channel has been removed, the windowpane or screen panel can be brought diagonally upward, inward and forward relative to the window opening of the door with the upper, forward corner of the windowpane or screen panel 46 clearing the upper forward end of the door frame window opening thereby permitting removal of the window or screen.

A second method of removing a window or screen unit 26 after the upper section 60 of the forward guide channel has been removed involves tilting the unit 26 including the roller track 36 about the drop arm roller 34 when the unit 26 is in the position shown in dotted line in FIG. I. Since the window or screen unit 26 is still attached to the track 36, there is not much lateral movement allowed within the door. Therefore, some flexibility of the unit 26 is generally required in order for the upper leading edge of the unit to clear the window opening in the door frame during removal. Therefore, as the unit 26 is pivoted about roller 34, the upper leading edge of the windowpane or screen panel is generally flexed somewhat inwardly to clear the upper horizontal doorframe member and then the entire unit 26 along with the track 36 is slid off the roller in an upward, inward and forward direction as shown in dashed line in FIG. 1 and the unit 26 is removed from the door assembly.

A third method of removing the window or screen unit 26 from the door assembly once the upper section 60 of the forward guide channel has been removed, involves separating the unit 26 including the lower frame member 40 from the roller track 36 of the drop arm 32. This is accomplished by moving the window to the position shown in dotted line FIG. 1 or slightly there above so that the screws 42, which join the track 36 to the depending flanges 44 of the unit 26, can be removed (access to the screws being gained through panel sections With the roller track 36 separated from the window frame member 40, the track 36 is pivoted about roller 34 to a substantially vertical position and slid out between the unit 26 and the windowsill 66. The removal of the track 36 from the door assembly by sliding it between the unit 26 and the windowsill 66 is facilitated by the prior removal of the upper section 60 of the guide channel since the forward edge of the unit 26 can be moved outwardly somewhat to thereby given additional space between the windowpane or screen panel 46 of the unit 26 and the windowsill 66. With the roller track 36 removed, the drop arm 32 no longer interferes with the lateral movement of the lower portion of the unit 26 thereby providing additional room in which to manipulate the window or screen unit 26 laterally within the door so that it can be withdrawn from the door through the forward portion of the window opening. The unit 26 is then removed by cocking the unit within the door so that the upper leading edge of the unit passes inwardly of the upper forward portion of the door frame window opening after which the unit is removed in a forward, inward and upward direction as shown in dashed line in H6. 1.

The insertion of a window or screen unit 26 is accomplished by reversing the above outlined methods with the upper separable section 60 of the forward guide channel being replaced in the door after the window or screen unit 26 has been secured to the drop arm assembly 24. As indicated above, it is to be understood that the above outlined methods apply also to the embodiment of FIG. 5.

While the preferred form of the invention has been shown and described, it is to be understood that all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to which fall within the scope of the invention. It is also to be understood that any type of conventional door latch, door lock and door handle mechanisms can be utilized with the present invention. However, since these do not comprise part of the present invention, they have been omitted from the drawings to clearly show the mechanisms of the present invention.

What we claim is:

1. An automotive door assembly with a readily removable and replaceable windowpane or screen panel unit comprising:

a windowpane or screen panel unit carried within a doorframe means;

a drop arm assembly means carried by said doorframe means for moving said unit vertically within said doorfrarne means; and

guide channel assembly means for guiding the movement of said unit within said door frame means, said guide channel assembly means having a forward, verticaliy-extending guide channel which receives a forward, vertical edge of said unit, said forward guide channel having a lower guide channel section affixed to said door frame means, said forward guide channel having an upper guide channel section separably secured to said lower guide channel section and said door frame means and said upper guide channel "section normally extending vertically along a leading edge of an opening defined by said door frame means whereby removal of said separable upper section facilitates the removal or replacement of said unit with respect to said door frame means said upper and lower guide channel sections of said forward vertically-extending channel being secured together by means of a pin passing through aligned apertures in lug means of said upper and lower guide channel sections.

2. In the door assembly of claim 1:

said upper guide channel section of said forward, verticallyextending guide channel extending below a sill of said door frame means which defines a lower edge of said opening in said doorframe means whereby the juncture of said upper and lower guide channel sections is located below said windowsill.

3. In the door assembly of claim 2:

said upper guide channel section of said forward, verticallyextending guide channel being at least as long as the forward, vertical edge of said unit.

4. ln the door assembly of claim 1: said upper guide channel section of said forward, verticallyextending guide channel extending below a sill of said doorframe means which defines a lower edge of said opening in said doorframe means whereby the juncture of said upper and lower guide channel sections is located below said windowsill.

5. In the door assembly of claim 1:

said upper guide channel section of said forward verticallyextending guide channel being at least as long as the forward, vertical edge of said unit.

6. in the automotive door assembly of claim 1:

a second windowpane or screen panel unit carried within said doorframe means.

7. A method of removing and replacing a windowpane or screen panel unit in an automotive door assembly wherein said door assembly is provided with an opening having a forward, vertically-extending guide channel which receives a forward, vertical edge of said unit, said forward guide channel having a lower guide channel section affixed to said door assembly, said forward guide channel has an upper guide channel section separably secured to said lower guide channel section and said door assembly, and said upper guide channel section extend ing below a sill of said door assembly which defines a lower edge of said opening in said door assembly comprising:

removing said upper guide channel section of said forward guide channel from said door assembly;

detaching said unit from a drop arm assembly means carried by said door assembly, said unit being detached from said drop arm assembly means by detaching a lower unit frame member from a roller track of said drop arm assembly means, pivoting said roller track of said drop arm assembly means about a roller of said drop arm assembly means;

withdrawing said roller track of said drop arm assembly means for said door assembly by sliding said roller track upward between said unit and said sill of said door assembly opening whereby greater freedom of movement is permitted for the lower portion of the unit within the door assembly to facilitate withdrawal;

and replacing said unit.

8. In the method ofclaim 7:

said unit being detached from said drop arm assembly means by removing fasteners securing said unit to a lower unit frame member, said lower unit frame member being secured to a roller track of said drop arm assembly.

9. ln the method of claim 7:

said unit being detached from a roller of said drop arm assembly means by pivoting said unit including a roller track of said drop arm assembly means about said roller of said drop arm assembly means and flexing an upper, forward corner of the unit inward so as to clear an upper door assembly opening frame member during withdrawal of said unit along with said roller track from said door assembly. 

1. An automotive door assembly with a readily removable and replaceable windowpane or screen panel unit comprising: a windowpane or screen panel unit carried within a doorframe means; a drop arm assembly means carried by said doorframe means for moving said unit vertically within said doorframe means; and guide channel assembly means for guiding the movement of said unit within said door frame means, said guide channel assembly means having a forward, vertically-extending guide channel which receives a forward, vertical edge of said unit, said forward guide channel having a lower guide channel section affixed to said door frame means, said forward guide channel having an upper guide channel section separably secured to said lower guide channel section and said door frame means and said upper guide channel section normally extending vertically along a leading edge of an opening defined by said door frame means whereby removal of said separable upper section facilitates the removal or replacement of said unit with respect to said door frame means said upper and lower guide channel sections of said forward vertically-extending channel being secured together by means of a pin passing through aligned apertures in lug means of said upper and lower guide channel sections.
 2. In the door assembly of claim 1: said upper guide channel section of said forward, vertically-extending guide channel extending below a sill of said door frame means which defines a lower edge of said opening in said doorframe means whereby the juncture of said upper and lower guide channel sections is located below said windowsill.
 3. In the door assembly of claim 2: said upper guide channel section of said forward, vertically-extending guide channel being at least as long as the forward, vertical edge of said unit.
 4. In the door assembly of claim 1: said upper guide channel section of said forward, vertically-extending guide channel extending below a sill of said doorframe means which defines a lower edge of said opening in said doorframe means whereby the juncture of said upper and lower guide channel sections is located below said windowsill.
 5. In the door assembly of claim 1: said upper guide channel section of said forward vertically-extending guide channel being at least as long as the forward, vertical edge of said unit.
 6. In the automotive door assembly of claim 1: a second windowpane or screen panel unit carried within said doorframe means.
 7. A method of removing and replacing a windowpane or screen panel unit in an automotive door assembly wherein said door assembly is provided with an opening having a forward, vertically-extending guide channel which receives a forward, vertical edge of said unit, said forward guide channel having a lower guide channel section affixed to said door assembly, said forward guide channel has an upper guide channel section separably secured to said lower guide channel section And said door assembly, and said upper guide channel section extending below a sill of said door assembly which defines a lower edge of said opening in said door assembly comprising: removing said upper guide channel section of said forward guide channel from said door assembly; detaching said unit from a drop arm assembly means carried by said door assembly, said unit being detached from said drop arm assembly means by detaching a lower unit frame member from a roller track of said drop arm assembly means, pivoting said roller track of said drop arm assembly means about a roller of said drop arm assembly means; withdrawing said roller track of said drop arm assembly means for said door assembly by sliding said roller track upward between said unit and said sill of said door assembly opening whereby greater freedom of movement is permitted for the lower portion of the unit within the door assembly to facilitate withdrawal; and replacing said unit.
 8. In the method of claim 7: said unit being detached from said drop arm assembly means by removing fasteners securing said unit to a lower unit frame member, said lower unit frame member being secured to a roller track of said drop arm assembly.
 9. In the method of claim 7: said unit being detached from a roller of said drop arm assembly means by pivoting said unit including a roller track of said drop arm assembly means about said roller of said drop arm assembly means and flexing an upper, forward corner of the unit inward so as to clear an upper door assembly opening frame member during withdrawal of said unit along with said roller track from said door assembly. 